Religion in Paris- no longer à la mode

I am a Religion major studying in Paris, a juxtaposition that was confirmed not long after my arrival in this stunning secular country. Every day I walk around Paris and am confronted with evidence of a religious city that once was. Sadly, the cemeteries, cathedrals, churches, chapels, and basilicas that dot the city now stand as religious symbols frozen in history as Parisian modernity pushes forward, seldom looking back to acknowledge its Christian roots. Such religious symbols are not forgotten, however, at least not by their tourists upon whom Notre Dame, Ste. Chapelle, Sacré-Coeur, and Père Lachaise depend. Since being here I’ve managed to read up on the history of laïcité (secularism) in France. I know that, preceding the French Revolution, France turned to the Church in order to better function as a united nation; in fact, the Church governed the nation: Sabbath was respected, divorce was unheard of, nuns were teachers, and God was understood by all as the author of the fundamental rights of the French people. I also know that, with the Revolution of 1789 came a new way of thinking, of governing, and of living. Through a slow process Catholicism was being pushed underground. What began as a simple separation of Church and State in 1905 has catapulted into a complete rejection of religion within the public sphere, and the whole world is tuning in. We were all aware of the 2004 headscarf controversy, for example, which ultimately led the French government to abolish all public displays of religious (and political) belief in schools, headscarves and crosses included. In 5 months I have come across a handful of others wearing crosses similar to mine, and in all likelihood they were tourists. It’s one thing to read about these affairs from America and it’s another to be here in France and experience my religion as this underground-type movement, as if I’m a part of a group existing outside the French establishment, expressing unorthodox or radical views. It’s no wonder that, when asked by the French what I study, my response is most often met with stares of incredulity. My study abroad experience in Paris is complicated, because, beyond the education and politics, I have enjoyed myself. The city of lights and love really is spectacular. Day-to-day life here is calm and elegant. I live in a beautiful apartment in a beautiful neighborhood down the street from a beautiful park where people exchange words in a beautiful language. The architecture, the parks, the canals, the language, the food, the deep history, and the thriving arts…truth be told I know all too well how blessed I am to be in Paris. But the feeling of being a stranger does not escape me. I don’t wear heels or dress in black, I don’t smoke, I smile at passerbies, I study Religion, and I wear a cross. I know now more than ever where I do and don’t fit in, and not fitting in in Paris is fine by me. Upon reflection, I’m left to wonder, wasn’t the purpose of adopting secularism (like the Separation in America) to not show favoritism towards one cult, thereby promoting equality and diversity? It seems that somehow, somewhere, something went wrong. But perhaps I am being too harsh. There is, after all, the Jewish quarter of Paris that stretches a whopping 2 blocks; ‘though let’s not fool ourselves, the only reason this area is so lively is because of its mouth-watering falafels that reel in hundreds of customers daily. Perhaps this is where 51% of the Christian French population is hiding, because they’re sure as heck not in church.